AS 2020 FINALLY … mercifully … recedes into our rearview, I wanted to write a quick post to thank all of you for supporting Stone Walls in so many different ways.
When I decided, perhaps against better judgment, to launch this newsletter in the midst of a pandemic and with online kindergarten about to begin in our kitchen, I knew one thing: A local history newsletter would be a time-consuming endeavor. What I didn’t know was if anyone would read it.
The initial response was encouraging, and it has grown from there. So as this new year arrives bearing both continued challenges and also opportunity, I send all of you a huge THANK YOU. Every little way you’ve shown support is noticed and appreciated, even in my covid isolation. From reading and inviting me into your inboxes, to forwarding the emails to others, amplifying on social media, passing along words of encouragement, mentioning to me that a Stone Walls topic came up in a policy meeting, or becoming a paid subscriber to support the continuation of this work even though the content is free. Multiple organizations have asked to share or cross-publish the newsletter. Wilson Library, the special collections library at UNC, even reached out about archiving the site.
And of course, I owe a special thank you to the talented and insightful guest contributors who have graced this space so far: Dawna Jones, Terrence Foushee, and kynita stringer-stanback. You have made Stone Walls better and more interesting.
What I hope is that we all — you, dear readers, included — are a small part of an evolution in this moment. By spreading some long-missing truths, we might help recalibrate a narrative and rethink some presumptions. In doing so, perhaps this place could become more reflective of the kinds of progress many of us say we want.
To that end, I also want to encourage you to keep it up. Our audience still has a lot of room to grow and share this neglected history. Tell a friend, tell a classmate, tell a relative about Stone Walls. If a particular post strikes you, forward it! Share it online! Word of mouth is the only way for the impact to build. Sign up to receive the Stone Walls newsletter if you’re not already, or sign up someone who might appreciate or benefit from its contents. And if you can afford to chip in a few bucks to help sustain this work, that is much appreciated too.
Stone Walls will never pay my bills by any stretch of the imagination. But researching, writing, editing, fact-checking, and photographing these posts is a lot of work. (Please graciously keep that in mind when the time between posts fluctuates.) Also, when Stone Walls is fortunate to have a guest contributor, I pay them a little something.
So as 2021 begins, Stone Walls is offering a subscription special for the New Year: $5 per month or $55 for a year. (And again, you can also sign up for free to get posts full of history delivered to your inbox on a regular, if somewhat irregular, basis.) Click the button below for subscription options.
Since launching in mid-July, we’ve had 19 posts in these 5+ months. Below is a recap, especially in case you joined us along the way, or if any topics already covered bring to mind someone you’d like to share with.
2020 Stone Walls posts:
WELCOME TO STONE WALLS: What is UNC? Who is Chapel Hill?
“MEN OF THEIR TIMES”: Campus building names go to the chopping block
POLICE PROBLEMS: Despite the good intentions of white liberals
2 DEAD PRESIDENTS: Is UNC doomed to repeat pandemic history? <MOST READ>
GHOSTS OF COLONIAL DRUG: Celebrations, and introspection, overdue <EDITOR’S PICK>
POLICE PROBLEMS, PART II: An incomplete historical list
TWO YEARS AFTER SAM: The more things change… (by Dawna Jones) <MOST READ>
CHAPEL HILL vs BROWN v. BOARD: The Pearsall Plan in North Carolina
RANDALL KENAN: WALKING ON WATER: 1963-2020 <MOST READ>
“FIRE TO IT!”: The mass lynching that nearly was
THE SOUTHERN PART OF HEAVEN: A Confederate monument still standing <EDITOR’S PICK>
CORNERSTONE NARRATIVES: The weight of the past and restitution
COUP D'ÉTAT IN CHAPEL HILL: A stolen local election
TODAY IN 2016, OBAMA WAS HERE: November 2nd felt a bit different
JAMES CATES IS GONE: A solemn 50th anniversary <MOST READ>
“BLACK MAMA ADVICE”: A poem (by Terrence Foushee) <MOST SHARED>
FROM SLAVERY TO COLLEGE LOANS: (by kynita stringer-stanback) <EDITOR’S PICK>
SLAVERY TO COLLEGE LOANS, PART II (by kynita stringer-stanback)
STONE WALLS YEAR IN REVIEW — you’re reading it now!
Best wishes for a healthy new year, one in which we can find happiness amid its challenges.
Thank you,
Mike Ogle
ONE GOOD THING:
2021 brings hope thanks in part to Orange County native Dr. Kizzmekia Corbertt, a key developer of the COVID-19 vaccine.
